


Familial Aid

by destihecker



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, M/M, POV Castiel, Schmoop, this is ridiculous but cute i promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-16
Updated: 2015-03-16
Packaged: 2018-03-18 03:12:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3553934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/destihecker/pseuds/destihecker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean's family refuses to believe that he and Cas are not in a relationship. So, he gives in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Familial Aid

**Author's Note:**

> i actually wrote this a couple of months ago but i finally decided to share it! honestly it's just silly and unrealistic and i felt a bit self conscious over it. but i hope that you enjoy it!

“So my family thinks we’re a couple.”

Castiel froze, before placing the dish he had been busy washing back into the sink. He turned to face Dean. His best friend and roommate sat at their kitchen table. The surface was compact, but it was enough space for the two of them.

“What?” Castiel muttered, still processing.

Dean shrugged. “They have for a while now. Y’know, livin’ together for so many years, me always taking you with when I visit them, crap like that.” He peered down at the floor for a moment, chuckling lightly.

Castiel nodded, leaning back against the counter. What Dean was saying was true. Sure, they’d lived together for five years. That was totally within the realm of platonic. “Okay,” Castiel said. “And you don’t try to explain that we are not together?”

“Hell yeah I did,” Dean said with a small smile. “My mom just goes on about how they’re all ‘totally okay’ with it, and-”

“‘All.’ So your father thinks so, as well,” Castiel deadpanned.

Dean’s forced grin faltered for just a fraction of a second. That doesn't mean that Castiel didn't notice. “Uh, yeah, he does.”

Castiel nodded, staring directly at his friend. “If this has been going on for a while, why did you wait until now to tell me?”

Scratching the back of his neck, Dean mumbled, “Because I sorta told them that we are.”

Castiel’s eyes widened. He had to be misinterpreting the other man. Or maybe his ears were shot. There had to be some sort of miscommunication in play. Still, he ran with what he had heard. “Are what, Dean? A couple? Why would you tell them that?”

Dean sighed. “Since they refused to believe that we weren’t together, I thought it would just easier to, y’know… tell ‘em we’re a couple for a bit, then stage some sorta breakup.”

The kitchen was silent.

“I know, Cas,” Dean said with another sigh. “It was a shit plan. But it’s too late now, okay? I’m sorry. Really, I am.”

Castiel crossed his arms, brow furrowed. “Thanksgiving is next week, Dean. So will have to stage our breakup before then?” He didn’t mean to sound so compliant with the situation. Castiel just had trouble refusing to help Dean out of his ridiculous misunderstandings.

Dean sat up straight instantly. “Ah,” he started. “I mean, we could call it off before then, but I sorta need to come up with a reason as to why we’re still livin’ together post-breakup. Since, y’know, it’d probably be easier if you _didn’t_ move out.” Dean smiled weakly.

Castiel had begun to pace across the kitchen as his friend spoke. He trailed to and fro in front of Dean, whose eyes followed the dark-haired man carefully.

Castiel didn’t speak. His mind was loud enough.

“Listen,” Dean said after letting go of a loud sigh. “I’ll do my best to clean up this mess. I fuckin’ promise. I swear on it. I just need a some time to plan things out, run ‘em by you, and the road is clear.”

“We just have to run with the lie that we were once a couple for the rest of our lives,” Castiel muttered, refusing to look Dean in the eyes.

Dean shifted a bit in his seat. “Cas,” he said slowly. “I promise. I’ll-”

“I know. You’ll fix things.” Castiel stopped pacing. Finally, he turned to face Dean. He shook his head and held his breath for a moment. “Please, just sort this out before it goes too far.”

Dean’s lips quirked into a small smile. “Don’t worry, Cas. I’ve got you.”

Castiel nodded plainly, nearly shaking as he tried to maintain a calm composure. He was surrounded by thoughts, swarming him and tying knots inside of his head. Castiel tried to convince himself that he was simply frustrated at Dean for lying. All the same, he knew the truth deep in his gut. Possibly very shallow in his gut.

It wasn’t exactly easy to pretend to be a couple with the man you were madly, sickeningly in love with.

~~~

The days leading up to Thanksgiving passed without any sort of altercation. Castiel and Dean’s lives went by as they did under normal circumstances, although that didn’t stop the ruckus inside Castiel’s mind. He was frustrated; with Dean, but more so with the situation. With his own feelings for his friend.

It didn’t dawn on him until dinner, the day before the holiday. This wasn’t as much a problem as it was an opportunity. The chance to let his feelings for Dean loose, to be openly affectionate without repercussion. No one would question him. Of course, he understood that he couldn’t take things too far; the last thing he wanted to do was make Dean uncomfortable. Castiel had to be subtle. All the same, he could be open for the first time in his life.

Maybe he would even be able to tell Dean he loved him.

“What are you smiling about?”

Castiel’s gaze flew upwards. Dean was staring at him from across the table, an amused grin on his face.

“Nothing,” Castiel said quickly.

Dean chuckled. “My burgers that good? Anyway, I was thinking about tomorrow. We get there just before dinner, saves us some socializing. Not that I don’t wanna spend time with Sammy and Mom, I just thought it would be easier on you if we didn’t have to keep our act up for too long. Sound like a plan?”

Castiel nodded. “Yes, Dean. That sounds good.” Maybe it was for the best, minimizing their time as “couple."

“Awesome.”

~~~

Castiel and Dean were seated inside the Impala, just yards from the front door to Dean’s childhood home.

Dean turned to the other man. “You ready?” he said. “Dinner’s scheduled for 6 o’clock, so we’ve got about an hour to socialize. Think you can manage, or do you wanna wait in the car for a few minutes?”

Castiel shook his head. “No, I’m ready.” He adjusted his collar with shaking hands that were very clearly not ready.

Dean nodded in response and proceeded to slide out of the car. Castiel followed suit.

Dean didn’t even bother to knock, opting to throw the door open and step inside, Castiel just behind him.

“Boys!” a voice rang out to their left. Before Castiel had time to catch a clear glance at the woman, Mary’s arms were pulling him into a tight hug.

“Hello, Mrs. Winchester,” Castiel said as Mary moved over to her son, throwing her arms around him in a similar fashion.

Mary scoffed. “Now, how many times have I told you not to call me that? It’s Mary.”

Castiel smiled. He did love to be around Dean’s family, far more than his own.

“Hey, Mom,” Dean said with a gentle chuckle, just before Mary released him as well.

Now that Castiel was able to get a better look at her, he could see that Mary was beaming with happiness. “Aren’t you two excited? It’s your first holiday as a couple! Well, a couple in the public eye, at the very least.”

Castiel’s face flushed, but Dean nodded calmly. “Yeah, we’re definitely looking forward to it. Right, Cas?”

Dean turned to face Castiel, who quickly made sure to smile. “Yes, we are,” he responded.

Mary’s smile sent a spark of guilt through Castiel. She was so elated to see Dean and him as a couple, but they’d be “breaking up” within the next week or so. She was going to be devastated.

“Would you boys like to join the rest of the family in the living room? Ellen and I were just finishing up dinner. John decided to sit one out, considering the mashed potato incident of last year.”

Dean nodded. “Sounds good, Mom.” He flashed another grin before grabbing Castiel’s hand.

Dean was holding his hand. Not that Dean hadn't grabbed his hand in the past. It just felt so different, given the context.

“Cas, you comin’?”

Castiel didn’t know for how long he had spaced out. Mary was gone, and Dean was staring at him. He was silent for another moment. “Yes, I am,” Castiel said finally.

Dean grinned. “Awesome. Let’s go, then.”

Castiel nodded and followed, still hand-in-hand with Dean, as his friend guided them into the living room.

Castiel could hear voices as soon as they left the foyer. Just moments later they were standing immediately outside of the large family room, looking in. Dean’s family was staring back.

The first one to greet them was Dean’s surrogate sister, Jo. “Hey, guys!” she said, hopping off of the couch where she had been seated. She bounded up to them, hugging Dean first, then Castiel.

“Hey, Dean, Cas,” Sam said with a chuckle and a small wave.

“Hey, Sammy!”

“Hello, Sam.”

Jo’s girlfriend, Charlie, smiled at Castiel and Dean from the couch. “What’s up, bitches?”

Dean smirked, and Castiel’s smile widened.

“Nice to see you two,” John said from a chair in the back of the room. Dean nodded in his direction.

“Good to see you boys,” Bobby said, planted in a seat beside John. He flashed a small but strangely comforting smile.

“Good to see you, too, Bobby,” Dean said, returning the smile.

Castiel’s gaze was still sweeping the room when Dean leaned in close, causing a shiver to creep down the shorter man’s spine.

“Try to play along,” Dean whispered. Castiel swallowed hard.

This was going to be difficult.

~~~

Castiel and Dean managed to squeeze in beside Jo and Charlie. As if the physical closeness wasn’t enough to give Castiel heart palpitations, the questions were almost too much to handle. Thankfully, Dean took the reigns.

“So,” Sam said, smiling almost devilishly. “Tell me. How long have you guys been dating? I mean, you’ve pretty much acted like a couple since you started living together. So… how long?”

Dean peered down at the floor for a moment, nearly causing Castiel to panic. However, he quickly looked back up, directly at Sam. A grin was spread across his face. “Going on five months now,” Dean said. “But you’re right. Guess we’ve been goin’ about some of the motions for even longer.”

“Who asked out who? Sort of important,” Charlie questioned, leaning forward to get a better look at Castiel and Dean.

Dean chuckled. “Actually, Cas here asked me out.”

“Really?” Jo said. “I would’ve expected you to be the one to make the first move. No offense, Cas.”

Castiel simply grinned and nodded.

Dean put on half a smile. “C’mon, Cas is bolder than you’re giving him credit for. He-”

“Most important question,” Jo interrupted. “Why’d you keep the relationship a secret?”

The room went silent. Castiel closed his eyes, temporarily escaping the situation. How was Dean possibly going to answer?

“Well, ah,” Dean started. “If I’m gonna be honest, we were just testing the waters at first. Weren’t sure if we could transition from friends to a couple. Didn’t want to disappoint anyone if it didn’t work out.”

“Boy, we've known you two were lovebirds for the past three years, at least. Ain’t no point in not telling us,” Bobby muttered.

Castiel’s face flushed as Jo and Charlie erupted in laughter. Even John chuckled along.

To Castiel’s luck, the conversation deviated from him and Dean from there.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel like he was wasting this opportunity. Wasting time. Him and Dean were a couple, possibly just for that day.

Castiel let out a heavy sigh and turned to whisper in Dean’s ear. “Put your arm around me,” he murmured. Dean immediately shot him a confused look.

Castiel blushed, instantly beginning to regret his suggestion. He was about to apologize when he felt a weight fall over his shoulder. 

“Aw, look! They’re finally acting all couple-y,” Charlie gushed just moments after Castiel’s leap of faith. Dean laughed. Castiel was mortified.

“C’mon, Cas,” Jo said with a chuckle, clearly noticing Castiel’s reddening face. “Public displays of affection are absolutely welcome. We just love seeing you two happy together.”

Castiel managed a weak smile.

“Actually,” Charlie added. “In your case, public displays of affection are _encouraged_. You guys should totally kiss. For your fans.”

Castiel could feel his mouth hang slightly open. Still, he turned to look Dean in the eyes. Dean wore a sheepish grin, and he was definitely closer to Castiel than he had been before.

“Kiss! Kiss!” Charlie chanted. She looked around the room. “Aw, am I really the only one who wants to see this happen?”

Jo nuzzled up against Charlie’s side, laughing hysterically.

Castiel couldn’t pinpoint when it happened, but Dean’s face was now just inches from his own.

He closed his eyes.

Castiel heard the clapping before he could even register what was happening. There were lips pressed against his own. There were _Dean’s_ lips pressed against his own.

He kept his eyes closed for the remainder of the brief, chaste kiss, only opening them when the warm sensation left his mouth.

Dean had pulled back a few inches, and was smiling sweetly at Castiel. For a fleeting second, Castiel forgot that the smile likely wasn’t genuine. He could only imagine how uncomfortable Dean must have been in that moment. Although Castiel wasn’t the initiator of the kiss, he couldn’t help but feel guilt swell in his stomach.

So he took what was absolutely the most logical course of action.

“I love you.”

The words slipped out before Castiel could even process what he was saying. He winced and threw his eyes shut after realizing what he had just said. Sure, he had previously considered telling Dean, but he knew the moment the words escaped his lips that he had almost certainly made a mistake.

The room, however, was filled when a mixture of coos and more clapping. Castiel could even hear Bobby chuckling from the back of the room.

“I love you too, Cas.”

Castiel’s eyelids sprang open. Dean was still so close to him - and he was grinning. Even wider than before, in fact. Castiel’s heart would have sprung out of his chest at that point if there wasn’t one thought hanging over him: _This isn’t real_.

“Okay, who’s ready for dinner?”

Mary and Ellen had appeared, like a saving grace, at the entrance to the living room. Castiel let out an audible sigh.

 _You can handle this, Castiel_.

~~~

To Castiel’s surprise, he _could_ handle it. He was managing the situation far better than he would have ever imagined. He sat next to Dean at the table, smiling along as his friend’s family chattered loudly.

Castiel was convinced that he’d gotten out safe, convinced that no one was going to bring their faux relationship back up, until the end of dinner.

“So, Dean,” Ellen started. “I wanna know. How’d this romance between you two start? Been friends for so long, seems like it would be a difficult transition.”

Castiel froze up instantly, but Dean’s expression only brightened. “Yeah, it was,” Dean said. “We both had some trouble learnin’ what was okay. What sorta interactions were on the table now that we were together.”

“Please tell me you guys kiss before work or something,” Charlie muttered. The room went silent. “What? I think goodbye kisses are cute. Sue me.”

Dean only chuckled. “I usually leave before Cas, so I guess I’m the one to get the goodbye kiss.”

Ellen smiled. “I’m glad you two are happy together. Assumin’ this isn’t too invasive, what knocked some sense into you? What finally gotcha to acknowledge the fact that you were head over heels?”

Castiel passed a quick glance over toward Mary. She looked as if she were on cloud nine.

Dean was quiet for a moment. “I guess,” he said slowly. “Well, if I’m gonna be honest, I’ve known I was in love with Cas for years. Doesn’t mean I didn’t deny it. Didn’t want to screw up our friendship. One day Cas confessed his feelings to me, and… well, it all spilled out.”

There was the word again. _Love_. A mock love. It was all fake, a sham. Castiel could feel his vision clouding from a mixture of frustration and even anger. And tears, he noticed a moment later.

“Excuse me,” he mumbled under his breath, quickly pushing his seat back and hopping out. Castiel found himself fleeing in the direction of the foyer.

“Cas? Cas, what’s wrong? C’mon, talk to me.” Castiel could hear Dean following him, which only worked to increase his heart rate. He reached the foyer, standing still for a moment as tears streaked his face. He couldn’t do this anymore. He couldn’t live this fantasy, knowing that it would vanish the moment he left the Winchester’s home. He couldn’t-

“Cas, what’s wrong?” Castiel could feel a hand rest on his shoulder from behind. The voice was gentle.

Castiel held his breath as he turned around, facing Dean. Dean’s features softened as he got a better look at Castiel’s tear drenched face.

“Cas…”

“I can’t do this,” Castiel all but whispered. “I can’t pretend that you love me. Because I love you, Dean. I have loved you for so long, and I’ve always dreamt of this, but I don’t want to experience it if I know that it will fade as quickly as it began.”

Suddenly, Castiel was enveloped in warmth as Dean threw his arms around the dark-haired man.

“It’s okay, Cas. Everything’s gonna be okay. I love you.”

Castiel peered over Dean’s shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he said. “You… you don’t have to say that right now. There’s no one else around.”

Castiel could feel Dean laugh against him. He furrowed his brow, thoroughly confused. “What’s funny, Dean?” he muttered.

“Honestly? I don’t give a damn if there’s no one around. I love you, Cas, and I want you to know that.”

The foyer fell silent.

“You love me,” Castiel stated. The room around him was practically spinning. He was certain that he had never been this confused in his life.

Dean pulled away, just a few inches. “Yeah, Cas,” he said. He wore a small smile. “I do. I love you.”

“I… love you too,” Castiel managed to sputter, despite being on the verge of consciousness.

Then Dean was kissing him. Nothing like the subtle peck on the lips from earlier; this kiss was passionate, desperate even. As if they’ve been building up to that moment their entire lives.

After what seemed like the best eon of his life, Castiel felt Dean pull away.

“We can leave early, if you need time to, y’know, process things. If you need to calm down,” Dean said softly.

Castiel nodded.

Moments later, they were back in the dining room, hand-in-hand. Dean’s family grew quiet and flashed a variety of concerned stares.

“Cas isn’t feeling well,” Dean said. “We’re gonna head out early. Just wanted to say goodbye.”

They were met with hugs and farewells. Bobby even approached Castiel, smiling. “Good luck, boy,” he said. Castiel nodded.

As they reached Baby, Castiel caught himself smiling.

“You feeling any better?” Dean asked as they slid into the Impala.

Castiel waited until Dean had started the car to reply. “Yes,” he said. “But I’m sure that you already knew that.”

Dean chuckled. “Just wanted to make sure.”

Halfway into the forty minute drive, Dean removed his right hand from the steering wheel and interlaced his fingers with Castiel’s.

Castiel was beaming for the remainder of the ride home.

To say the least, what happened later that evening was _definitely_ not fake.


End file.
